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HOWARD TILDEN, OF BGSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. Leners raamt No. 85,874, daad .mmm/ry 12, 1869.

'roy Bow-GUN. Wye- The Schedule referred to in these Letters P'atent and making part of the name'.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that '1, HOWARD Tr'LDEN, of Boston, Suolk'county, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented a new toy for children, which I name and call The Flying Comet and; hereby declare the followingto bea full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this'speoication. l

The object of my invention is to provide for children a mechanical toy, that shall be at once harmless and amusing; and this purpose I accomplish by combining and arranging a bow, cylinder, cord, and rod, in such a manner. that when the rod, which passes loosely through the cylinder, is drawn back and then released, it is suddenly and swiftly thrown forward within the cylinder, by theelasticity of the cord or bow, or both, inll arrested by a shoulder formed upon it,`and'proj ects rapidly through the air, -from its extremity, any suitable missile or flier that may be loosely suspended upon it for that purpose; and by providing, also, a suitable missile or flier to be projected from theend ofthe aforesaid rod.

In the following more exact description of my invention, I shall refer to the drawings hereinbefore mentioned, of which- Figure 1 is aplan or top view of my new toy as lying on a horizontal sln'face, the position of the parts, when drawn for discharge, being shown in red;

Figure 2, a view of the bow, and a cross-section of the cylinder; and

Figure 3, the flier.

A is' a short cylinder, of tin or other material, having attached to it and across it.the arms or bow B. The rod O passes looselythrough the `cylinder A, an is provided with a shonldenlD, of greater diameter than the interiorof the cylinder, and also with a knob, E, at the larger end, and a flattened or othershaped point at the smaller end.

The cord F passes through the rod O, andl its ends are fastened to the ends of the bow B. This bow may be formed of rigid wires or other material, and the oord F be elastic, or the bow may be a spring, and the cord non-elastic, or both may be elastic at the same time, las maybe preferred. A

, Fig. 3 shows a missile or flier adaptedto'the abovedescribed device. It consists of a ilat or conical centre-piece, a, of sheet-metal or other material, having attached to its `exterior edge several wings, b, formed of wires, covered with paper or cloth, or of sheet-metal, or other material, and set obliquely or inclined,`both in reference to the ,planev or base of the'centre-piece, and to its axis, each wing being also inclined laterally in the same direction, afterthe manner of the thread of a' screw, or like the arms of a .steames propellerwheel, so that whenA discharged or thrown, the resistance of f the air will give it a rapid rotary motion, on

the principle of the -coinmonwindmill, or like the ordinary shuttle-cock.

The centre-piece a is perforated, t loosely the`l I point on the end of the -rod C, said point being flattened or otherwise shaped, so as not to turn in the centre-piece, or if the centre-piece be conical, the point of the rod may be of the same shape, and be provided with a projection at one side, to lit a scoreinthe edge of the centre-piece, to prevent one from turning relatively to the other.

Operation. i

The flier being placed on the end or point of the rod C, the cylinder and bow are held in one hand,

While with the other the knob E is grasped, and the rod as the arrangement of its wings will cause it to rotate rapidly as it advances through the air, a line effect will be thus produced. o

Under favorable circumstances, a li'ght pin-wheel, of fire-works, may be attached to the hier, concentric with it, and lighted at the instant of discharge, care being taken to placeit in such a manner that its tendency to rotate may conspire with and not oppose that ofthe Hier.

In drawing back the rod O, it may be turned, at the same time, in a direction opposite to that in which the flier is arranged to rotate, the cord F winding on the rod O, sothat when released, the rod, revolving to return to its former position, will give an impulse of rotation to the Hier at the start. For the same purpose I contemplate placing a `lined pin on the rod O, to slide in a spiral slot in the cylinder A, so that when the rod is drawn back it will necessarily rotate in one direction, and return in the opposite direction when released.

If preferred, the cord Emay be connected with a loose collar on the rodl O, so as to allow the latter to turn without winding the cord around it.

The foregoing being a full description of my new toys' What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

As a new article of manufacture, the above-described toy-gun, having a rod, O, holding a cold-jr, and arranged to traverse and rotate within the cylinder A, substantially as describedfor the purpose set forth. HOWARD TILDEN. -Witnesses:

Gustavus A. SOMER'LY, .lortu Jonsson 

